Lewis Hamilton refused to shake hands with Andrew Bailey at the British Grand Prix. The reason surprised everyone
Lewis Hamilton walked past Andrew Bailey after the race. The Governor of the Bank of England held out his hand; Hamilton did not stop. Filmed from the stands by a spectator.
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Published
At the British Grand Prix on 5 July, Lewis Hamilton raced at Silverstone in front of a record home crowd of 564,000 over the weekend. He finished off the podium again. But the biggest talking point was not the result, but what happened afterwards in the paddock. Andrew Bailey, the Governor of the Bank of England, was there as a guest in a hospitality suite. As Hamilton walked past, Bailey held out his hand. Hamilton looked at him, did not stop and kept walking.
The television cameras never carried that angle. The footage was filmed on a phone by a spectator standing a few metres away, and it only began circulating widely this week. That is when the questions started.
To understand why Hamilton did what he did, you have to go back to the spring — to the weeks before the Silverstone weekend.
In May, Lewis Hamilton and Martin Lewis announced the launch of Monsteadpeak , an artificial intelligence-based investment platform. The project took more than a year to develop. Martin Lewis CBE, founder and executive chair of MoneySavingExpert.com and presenter of The Martin Lewis Money Show on ITV, brought his consumer-finance expertise, focus on accessibility and insistence on transparency. Hamilton put in his own capital and set one condition: that the platform be accessible to all Britons.
When asked how the idea of working together came about, Martin Lewis said: «We met a few years ago at an event in London. We talked. I told him what I was looking at in terms of giving ordinary people proper tools rather than leaving them at the mercy of complicated products or scams. He listened, asked a few questions and told me: “Show me real people this has helped”. I showed him. Two weeks later he called me and said he wanted in. But with one condition: that it be for everyone».
Charity karting day and platform launch
The official announcement was made during a charity karting event in the UK. The event took place in late June, in the week before the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Former and current drivers, Hamilton’s friends from the Formula 1 paddock, and a group of young karting talents took to the track, all wearing the special racing suits Monsteadpeak . The event drew a large crowd of spectators.
Lewis Hamilton and Martin Lewis with the young karting talents after the charity event. All wearing the special racing suits Monsteadpeak .
Interview after the karting day
After the event, Hamilton and Martin Lewis took questions at a press conference in front of the assembled media. The questions were put by Sky Sports F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham. The exchange lasted about 20 minutes.
Hamilton and Martin Lewis at the press conference. Questions from Sky Sports F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham.
Lewis Hamilton answering questions at the press conference.
Andrew Bailey's reaction
Governor of the Bank of England
Three weeks after the launch of Monsteadpeak, Bailey posted on the Bank of England's official X account:
Bank of England @bankofengland“The platform known as Monsteadpeak raises serious concerns about its regulatory framework. The Bank of England will be pushing for a strict authorisation process before instruments of this kind reach the public. We held Bank Rate at 3.75% in July precisely because households need stability, not experiments. It is our responsibility to protect households from products that have not been properly assessed.”
In plain words: until we allow it, ordinary people are not getting in.
Martin Lewis responded from his account:
Martin Lewis @MartinSLewis“40,000 users. Zero complaints. Zero irregularities. The numbers speak for themselves.”
A viewer came forward — and showed us his account
After the press conference was published, dozens of viewers wrote in to say they had already been using Monsteadpeak . One of them, Harry Davies, 52, from Birmingham, joined the pilot programme in July. He agreed to publish his results diary and to show us his account, live, on a video call.
Harry Davies, 52, from Birmingham. A still from our video call with him.
“I'm no finance expert. I'd spent years putting a bit aside, but with the base rate stuck at 3.75% since December and my bank paying a fraction of that, it just sat in my account doing nothing. When I came across Monsteadpeak in July, I signed up the same evening. Here’s my diary, day by day, exactly as it happened.”
We asked Harry to show us the account, there and then, on the call.
Harry Davies shows his HSBC statement, with the transfers from Monsteadpeak Ltd, live on our call.
“I'm not a finance man. But I can show my account to anyone who doubts it. Everything is there in black and white. Every transfer comes from Monsteadpeak Ltd. I don’t understand how the algorithm works. But I do understand that my HSBC account grows every week. And that’s enough for me.”
What people are saying about the launch of Monsteadpeak
How much can you earn?
Most people start with the smallest amount. After the first month they put in a second amount and switch on the “Growth Package” — after that, more comes back every week.
| Your deposit | Monthly income
(first deposit) |
With 'Growth Package'
(second deposit) |
|---|---|---|
| £190 | £3,500 – £5,000 | Up to £7,000 |
| £500 – £1,000 | £8,000 – £10,500 | Up to £15,000 |
The more you have on the account, the more comes back each week. Most people put the second amount in during the first three weeks.
Calculate your monthly income
How to sign up for Monsteadpeak
Registration for the pilot programme is open until: 24.08.2026
Places left in the programme: 174
GO TO THE OFFICIAL SITE →
COMMENTS
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All Comments 22
Did Hamilton actually ignore Bailey? I thought the clip was edited, but I just watched the full video. The Governor of the Bank of England literally got blanked after trying to stop this platform. Absolutely extraordinary.
UPDATE (10 minutes later): My mate works in the City. Says Threadneedle Street has been in full panic mode since that handshake at Silverstone. Just registered myself. £190. If it rattled politicians that badly, there's something to this.
👍 127My wife made me watch the interview with Pinkham. When Martin Lewis explained how the algorithm works... that wasn’t an act. That was genuine confidence. Something Bailey posted hit far too close to home for the elite.
UPDATE (25 minutes later): Right, I’ll admit it. I just withdrew £340 from the platform to my Lloyds account. It cleared within the hour. My wife is extremely smug.
👍 93💰 WITHDRAWAL CONFIRMED
I’m one of those ordinary people Lewis Hamilton mentioned. Working night shifts and still struggling to make ends meet. When Bailey said we need "protecting" from this, I nearly threw something at the telly because that is exactly how they keep us poor.
Started with £190 five days ago. The balance reached £810. Money in my Barclays account this morning. This is completely real. Here’s proof for the doubters 👇
👍 218I work at one of the big four banks. We have access to these AI platforms internally. They’re called “institutional trading tools”, and we’re explicitly told never to mention them to retail customers. What Martin Lewis exposed is 100% true. Hamilton backing it with his own money proves it.
👍 276That bit where Bailey tried to say the platform needs a "strict authorisation process" — that's the elitism Hamilton nailed him on. Mate, the platform does everything for you. They want you to think you’re not smart enough to invest. That’s the real scam.
👍 184Single dad, two kids. Zero-hours contracts since redundancy. When Martin Lewis talked about that mechanic from Manchester — rent taking half, the energy bill taking another quarter — I felt that in my bones. Just signed up with £190.
UPDATE (2 hours later): Lads. LADS. Just checked. £246 already. Fifty-six quid and I have barely put the phone down. The government tried so hard to stop this getting out.
👍 156Three children. Universal Credit doesn't stretch far enough. Last month I had to choose between heating and food. The Governor of the Bank of England sitting in his office trying to block us from using this made my blood boil. Just registered. Please let this work.
👍 203The way the crowd erupted at that charity karting day. Thousands of people. That wasn't staged. That was real people fed up with being patronised by bankers like Bailey. Just signed up out of pure respect for Sir Lewis. 👑
👍 167Watched the whole interview again this morning. You could see how passionate Lewis Hamilton is about this. And when Martin Lewis mentioned the 40,000 users with zero complaints on Twitter... You could see he has done his homework. Registered immediately. Already up £180.
👍 312Did anyone else notice Bailey tried to scare people on X and Martin Lewis just shut him down with numbers? "40,000 users. Zero complaints." Absolute masterclass in not backing down to the Bank of England.
👍 245That moment when Hamilton said "luck shouldn't be the only way out" — that was powerful. He knows the elites want to keep this to themselves. I just withdrew £580 to my NatWest account. Cleared in 3 hours.
👍 189📢 OFFICIAL UPDATE — interview viewership
The clip of Natalie Pinkham's interview is back at the top of the feed today. 4.2 million views in six hours. Lewis Hamilton and Monsteadpeak are now trending #1 on UK Twitter. Due to unprecedented demand, registration will remain open for 24 hours only.
👍 421My husband said, "Lewis Hamilton wouldn't put his name and reputation on this if there wasn't truth in it." He's worked in finance for 20 years. We just deposited £500. Thanks to Martin Lewis for having the guts to build this.
👍 134I'm 67, £241.30 a week from the state pension and the winter fuel money now clawed back through tax if you have a bit of income. I've watched these interviews for 30 years and have NEVER seen anything like that. Hamilton was so sincere about helping ordinary Brits. That tells you everything. I just registered with my pension money — £190 to start. God bless Sir Lewis.
👍 298I'm a teacher, exactly the kind of "ordinary person" Lewis Hamilton mentioned, buying classroom supplies with my own money. When he said luck shouldn't be the only way out — I actually cried. Someone finally gets it. I signed up immediately.
👍 267Electrician here. The bit where Hamilton talked about ordinary families — that's me exactly. Grafting constantly and still skint. Bailey's patronising post about "protecting households" made me sick. This platform might actually level the playing field.
👍 176If the platform was a scam, Martin Lewis wouldn't have challenged everyone to look at the numbers. The fact the Bank of England literally posted in panic tells you everything. Hamilton rattled Threadneedle Street so badly they forgot how to be professional. Deposited £400. Let's see what they tried to keep from us.
👍 234That standing ovation after the charity karting day. Kids in Monsteadpeak shirts with tears running down their faces. THAT was real emotion. These people are desperate for someone to fight for them. Hamilton delivered. Pure respect ❤️
👍 312Still sceptical, but when the Bank of England panics about a platform, that looks suspicious. I deposited £190. If I really earn, I'll leave a review here!
UPDATE (an hour later): Withdrew £220 to my card. Cleared in under two hours. I owe Sir Lewis an apology. He really meant it, and Martin Lewis exposed the banks live on air.
👍 445Natalie Pinkham's face when Martin Lewis explained how simple it is. She's been on that pit lane since 2012 and even she couldn't believe it. "Ordinary people, from London, from Manchester." Historic television. And Hamilton standing there vindicated. Brilliant.
👍 387Delivery driver doing 65-hour weeks. What Hamilton said about the lack of tools for normal families — I felt that. The establishment is terrified of this algorithm. You could see it in Bailey's post. Just registered. Even if it is £100 a day, that is £700 a week I do not have now.
👍 201I'm rationing heating because the cap goes up again in October — £1,729 a year for a normal house, another £66 on top. Sir Lewis mentioned working people doing exactly that. Someone finally spoke truth to power. Men like Bailey can't take it. Registered with £190 from my savings. Thank you, Sir Lewis, for fighting for us.
👍 412